Refrigerator appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a chilled chamber for receipt of food articles for storage. In addition, refrigerator appliances include one or more doors rotatably hinged to the cabinet to permit selective access to food items stored in chilled chamber(s). Further, refrigerator appliances commonly include dispensing assemblies for providing ice or water into external containers. For example, such dispensing assemblies are commonly mounted within a dispenser recess on a front of a door of the refrigerator appliance at a height convenient for user access.
However, users may frequently wish to fill containers that cannot fit within the dispensing assembly or door recess, or which are otherwise positioned remotely from the dispensing assembly. For example, a user may wish to fill a pitcher or large container positioned on the floor. Using a dispensing assembly fixed on the door and having a fixed dispensing nozzle would not permit filling such a container. Even if a dispensing nozzle were able to fill such a container, a user would need to hold the nozzle close to the floor and might not be able to reach the dispensing assembly or control panel for starting and stopping the flow of water.
Accordingly, a refrigerator appliance with features for improving the dispensing of ice or water would be desirable. More particularly, a dispensing assembly for a refrigerator appliance that facilitates convenient filling of containers that are remote from the door of the refrigerator appliance would be particularly beneficial.